Jack,

Hi buddy; can it really be that you are 5 years old? Are you sure you turned five yesterday? I’m so not sure how that happened! I know that parental units always say that, so I guess that was part obligation and part disbelief.

As usual, we kicked off the festivities with the preschool end-of-year / graduation party. Hey how kick ass will it be to graduate high school and turn 18 all in a couple of days? Yes, I must say that was damn fine planning on your dad and my part. You can totally party like you’re a rock star! But I digress, back to the big 5! This year the celebration also included/includes a swimming party with your pre-school friends yesterday, an immediate family party last night, a camping trip with your sister and me tomorrow, and an extended family party on Sunday. Yea, maybe you’re already partying like a rock star?

Lately you have been doing some amazing things. For starters: math. Yep, while it certainly wasn’t my forte, you seem to have a gift for it. I guess you will be a gear head just like dear old grandpa and Uncle Devin. You can crawl under a car for hours with your grandfather, and are happy to recalibrate whatchamadoodles for days on end. Things have just been clicking for you mathematically lately. You will look at me and say: “Hey if I’m five next week, then in two years I’ll be seven and Jacob will be seventeen.” You say it so matter of fact-ly, but it blows my mind. I just love to watch your face as everything clicks into place.

Also in the new category, you have begun sleeping in pj pants and no shirt. While this is something big brother and other male family members do, it was a shock for me that YOU would do it. Somehow I just thought you would go to college in the grand ole footed pajamas. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss those things just a little. No matter, this isn’t the first thing you have thrown by the way side before I was ready, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.

This letter wouldn’t be complete with out a discussion of your hair. Yes, the hair that you refuse to cut, because Jacob has longish skater boy hair, ergo you should too. YOU ARE 5! You do not get to do everything Jacob does. Oh sorry, I really didn’t mean to include that long standing argument here. Suffice it to say the living up your brother’s rectum continues, complete with starting to play baseball within weeks of his baseball career, and wearing khaki pants and green shirts to preschool, despite the fact that your preschool does not have uniforms. While you probably would have played baseball without your brother’s involvement, self imposed uniforms are really one of your more extreme Jacobitious acts.

Jack, I love you. When you came screaming into this world at 10:17 am on May 17, 2001, you changed my life in ways I couldn’t dream possible. I thought I knew it all. I was a veteran with your brother and all. This would be the first, but not the last time, that you would quietly explain, that I in fact, did not know it all. Thanks for keeping me on my toes and constantly showing me there are other ways to do things. Thanks buddy and I really do love you.

Mom